Egypt's president names new prime minister

By Aya Batrawy

Associated Press

Published: Tuesday, July 24 2012 8:05 a.m. MDT

He was brought into the government after Mubarak's fall. His young age stands in stark contrast to current Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri, 78, who is a Mubarak-era prime minister who served from 1996 to 1999 and was reappointed to the post in late 2011. The choice of el-Ganzouri deepened the anger of protesters in November who were already seething over the military's perceived reluctance to dismantle the legacy of the ousted president's 29-year rule.

An example of the pull-and-tug between the Islamists and the current Cabinet appeared after Egypt's foreign currency reserves declined by as much as $21 billion since the January, 2011 uprising. Cairo asked the International Monetary Fund for a $3.2 billion aid package, the disbursement of which hinges on political consensus in Cairo. The Brotherhood has since been at odds with the Cabinet's spending and repaying scheme for the loan, which has stalled its approval.

Since Morsi's win, the Brotherhood has also been squeezed by the military's grip on authority. Just before he took office, the military dissolved parliament, which was led by the Brotherhood and other Islamists, and the generals took over legislative powers as well as other authorities.

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Additional reporting by Sarah El Deeb

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